I've never participated in a debate at the Oxford Union. I've not even been there, unlike the Cambridge Union which I visited once in the early 1970s to attend a debate on nature v nurture in relation to IQ. The impact of that debate has stayed with me ever since.
Oxford had a debate a couple of weeks ago with the motion: “This House believes woke culture has gone too far.” You'll find it on YouTube.
There was a compelling electrifying speech in favour of the motion by Konstantin Kisin, the co-host of Triggernometry and author of An Immigrant’s Love Letter to the West. I watched this because its theme was climate change and what the responsible attitude of political leaders in the "developing world" ought to be. You may have seen Kisin on Question Time, though I haven't. In fact I'd never heard of the bloke – such a sheltered life.
Anyway, if you want a dose of realism about climate change in the so-called developing world, this might be for you. Or not ...
Responses
This particular debate was interesting for the eight speakers (4 for and 4 against the motion) who at first seemed opposed. My observation was that at the core of their arguments was that they all wanted the same outcome, but chose to address it in very different and counteractive ways.